1. Beit Bialik
As a child I always wondered, should I live as an adult in a house on a tree or in the heart of the sea, should I live in a house of words, sounds or silence? The answer was clear: live in a palace. And I managed to accomplish that. Although unfortunately I didn’t accomplish much in my life, I should have written more songs, had 2-3 children, added a few years beyond my 61 years, but I succeeded in one thing in my life – in real estate. The house where I lived for ten years of my life was and remains the most beautiful in the city. For sure Even Dizengoff will testify. Even Dizengoff’s horse. My home is the palace of my life. Lucky that I added the secret attic room, to have somewhere to hide and continue to dream. 22 Bialik
Who is hiding in the secret room on the roof? House of Bialik on the bill that bore Bialik’s portrait
2. Gali Aviv Casino
The opening ball of the casino cannot be forgotten. It was only a few days ago, that is, almost exactly 100 years ago, in May 1923, but the wind that blew that evening has not stopped to this day. She threw the hat to the English lords and exposed the legs of the city girls. The British flag was hoisted over the casino, the beach was lit up with a multitude of colored lights and the waiters dispersed among the diners, jugs of good wine on their trays. Viennese strudel in front of the view of the Yemenite vineyard, what more do you need? Despite its name, the casino was only a place of entertainment, dining and light dancing. If there were bets there, I might have won a little light, which is not out of the question. Allenby St. corner of the sea
Gali Aviv Casino (Photo: Avraham Soskin)
3. Atara coffee
The first sip of tea at ‘Atra’ cafe made my lips tingle forever. It was a sip at first sight. Who wouldn’t want to rest there at the end of a long walk and improve their life with good tea, hot chocolate and a slice of cake fresh from the oven? And if it was Saturday at your house and no one was home, and if you went to your kitchen and the refrigerator was empty, you could always go to the good ‘Atra’ and eat a dairy lunch, at a price not high but more expensive than that of “Tnuva” or the nearest cooperative restaurant. Bu me another place near the house that has a rich supply of dairy cafeterias, a coffee shop that also offers tea, cake and lunch, a novelty! Bialik Street, corner of Allenby
4. The stage theater
I am not an expert in theater matters. I don’t think of the theater as something that is a first necessity; I don’t deal with public affairs at all – and if after all this I went headfirst into the affairs of the “Habima”, and I also translated the first play that was staged, “The Possessed”, then the reason for this is that I consider the members of the “Habima” to be the messengers of the nation. We met in Moscow, Putin was not yet born then, it is doubtful if his parents were old enough to go alone to the theater, but in those days I was already carrying wood to build the first stage for the Hebrew Theater! So if you come to the sand dune at the end of Rothschild Boulevard, don’t hesitate, the stage is for everyone, even for those who have stage fright. Culture Square
5. Ohel Shem, Balfour Street
Who doesn’t know ‘Ong Shabbat’ will raise his hand! About the pleasure of the week days one should not say too much, but about the ‘Sabbath pleasure’ one should not talk too much in silence. This wonderful tradition, which began in my home every Shabbat afternoon and was dedicated to lectures on the week’s affairs, I had to move to a new place, a magnificent dwelling with hundreds of seats, a tent hall there on Balfour Street, because without Shabbat we are a desolate and degraded nation. The hall was so large that it was good to know that my life was laid for the benefit of my loved ones. On my last trip, in my wonderful Via Dolorosa on Allenby and Bialik Streets to the Trumpeldor Cemetery, I still had time to wave to the casino goers and sip some tea at ‘Atra’, what do we have to do? Lips will vibrate and kiss old lips forever.
Come on Gazzani and your husband. Bialik playing chess in a tent there with Rabbi Akiva Rubinstein (Photo: Beit Bialik Archive)
>> The events of the 150th anniversary of Bialik’s birth will open on 14.12 at the Culture Hall, with the celebratory show “The stars deceived me”, with the participation of Berry Sakharof, Rita, Shlomi Shaban, Teddy Negusa, Alon Ulartzik, Esther Rada, the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra Ashdod and the Kalifa Theater. Details and tickets here. Throughout the year 2023, there will be countless more events, including the launch of the new website and the Bialik archive, exhibitions, online videos for children, and more